Seeds of Dawn
by Lady Onuk
Summary: Naturals or Coordinators. It didn’t matter, they were just children dragged into a war that was not theirs, forced to grow up faster than they should and blaming themselves for not being strong enough to live on. Asucaga fic
1. Amongst Leopards

**Seeds of Dawn**

**By Lady Onuk**

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based on the Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny series which, by the way I don't own. This is my small tribute to the people who were creative enough to make a series that would hook me so much that I had to offend the English language with my clumsy attempts to write something coherent. Poor Shakespeare must be turning around in his grave --U.

Is an Asucaga fic, but would try not to forget there exist more characters in the whole series. Any comments are welcome and appreciated, but I would be grateful if you could pinpoint any mistakes (grammatically speaking and characterization-wise) for it will be a great help to improve this and subsequent works.

This first part happens in-between the end of Seed and the beginning of Seed Destiny.

**Amongst leopards**. 

_"We have our duties, you have your duties. If there is nobody left to carry on our ideals, then everything will be lost."_

_-'Orb's Lion', Uzumi Nara Athha-_

-.-.-.-.-.-

His fingers moved through the keyboard with the ease born of daily routine. A couple of spam messages deleted here, a new message from the "Mechanical Universum" newsgroup archived there for future reference, a forwarded one from "l337 h4x0r l1f3" which he was sure Kira had thought would interest him, but in fact annoyed him out of his mind just trying to translate it. Another message from Dearka full of bad jokes (which made him want to block his address more often than not) went straight to the trashcan along with a bunch of reminders that he had already remembered (and basically done, but he kept making them just in the -very slim- chance he would forget).

Once he got through his mailbox and rearranged it in what he considered a neat and clear order once again, he clicked the link to take a look at the headings of his favored newspapers.

Slowly sipping his coffee -one of cream, no sugar- he methodically scanned the international newspaper's headings. "Report on the Federation declared inconclusive…", "Ministry of External Relationships finishes program for next period", "New polar bear born in…", "Minister of Environment ask for an increment…" Nothing important as far as he was concerned. He idly went into "The Orb's Centinel" expecting more boring reports about the tax and accounts debates when the heading in the political affairs section called his attention; "Athha in Trouble. Deficiencies in the Actual Administration."

He carefully read the article snorting or grumbling alternatively here and there. It had been written by one of the Athha's most incisive dissenters and, as expected, was making quite a deal about the last reunion the Representative had gone to. It heavily criticized her lack of tact and explosive nature, something he had to agree was not politically correct of her in such reunions; he questioned her capabilities to rule Orb and went as far as stating that they should make a revision for the Head of State's characteristics in the National Constitution. Not that it was feasible to do given the nature of Orb's ruling system, but it annoyed him all the while.

Some of the things this man had written were true, like Cagalli's lack of experience, but the way he had made the statements transformed the whole "analysis" into a downright degrading critique. Exiting the site, he went to the next newspaper and randomly selected a section..

He could have spit his -now cooling- coffee just then, but his strong self-control prevented him from that, after all, a Zala must ALWAYS look cool. "Kitten's meowing disturbs Assembly" and "Too much for a weaned cub" were just among some of the least insulting headings.

"So now it's 'Orb's Kitten', eh?"

He ALMOST jumped out of his chair (nice thing this Zala's self-control is) at the sudden apparition of said 'Kitten' right beside his head.

The only daughter of the late "Lion of Orb" glared at the holographic display on her bodyguard's laptop and, after a few moments, straightened and took her seat in front of the steaming cup of coffee –two sugar spoons, and a jot of cinnamon- the maid had just served.

Athrun turned off the laptop and, after mentally berating himself for letting down his guard, finished his coffee and reached into the bread basket to take a nice looking white muffin.

"You know how the media likes to make things like this." Splitting the muffin in two, he gave the other half to the fuming blonde in front of him.

Taking the offered piece of bread Cagalli Yula Athha gave a loud sigh and, wearily, began eating her breakfast. "I wonder if it was Fong's idea or if he just stole it from another, more creative, underling of his?" She seemed even more tired now than she was before going to sleep. Athrun wondered if the Representative had slept at all.

It would not be the first time she had stayed up late going through the various issues the Emirs had presented for her approval. They were, after all, in the most complicated phase of Orb's reconstruction, both in terms of territory and the people's spirits.

"Knowing him, it was probably the latter."

Trying to rebuild over the debris generated by war, having lost everything they held precious and needing to go on was something that some people were either incapable or unwilling to do. Some seemed to have lost their desire to live, even after surviving the worse of the war… or maybe because of it.

And the only figure they had to cling to was, precisely, the girl in front of him.

Right now the United Emirates of Orb were standing precariously on the shoulders of the last descendant of the house of Athha, the house that represented the true ideals and identity of the nation, and who happened to be not as prepared for such responsibilities as he would wish. And all the media knew this.

Once the war had ended each Emirate had elected new representatives from each of the royal houses (as most of the previous heads had died during the Kaguya Mass Driver incident) and were currently too occupied straightening things out on their own lands. Thus Cagalli had had to make the best she could to rule her devastated country with the advise of her closest friends and the little political experience she already had.

Everything had worked more or less during those few months after the end of the war, in which her military rank provided her of almost absolute power over all aspects of the nation. But it was short lived. Once the country was in more or less solid bases her granted immunity had vanished, and soon, the teenage girl faced the worst enemy she had ever encountered: the mass media.

Funny (and frightening) thing was that the blonde had never been too much of a demure and cool headed princess, and such characteristics that had, somehow, helped her recover her own country and rebuilt it in the first months, were working against her, at least as far as the political counselors were concerned.

Maybe she should have received a deeper tactical training (if she ever received ANY training at all, something Athrun sometimes questioned) from her father or, at least, Kisaka, but as things were now, she was, basically, on her own.

Yes, Erica Simmons and Kisaka Lednoir had proven to be her most important advisors on many fields, but as their responsibilities were modified, both had been able to support her less and less. So it fell basically onto him to back her up, even when, politically speaking, he lacked any kind of power. After all 'Alex Dino' was just Ms. Athha's bodyguard.

"Don't let it get to you." He tried to cheer her up (and failed miserably) after a few moments of silence. "You have made a great work with so little resources available." He finished the last of his muffin and began drinking the, slightly sour, glass of orange juice. "Besides, you have most of Orb's citizens on your side."

"Mmmmh, I wonder." She said so lowly that it was almost a whisper. "I don't really know if I am doing this correctly. Every time I face the Emirs and the council members I feel like a bug under magnifying lenses, being judged and criticized for every word I utter and for those I don't, and I can't keep from thinking that father would have had more tact to deal with this or that matter, having the exact words for each and everyone of the politicians."

She drank the last of her juice in a gulp and made a face. "Sour."

"You just need more experience." He rose from his seat and went to her side. "Besides, not everyone is as near sighted as Fong. You saw that column from Melissa Omiaziki, right? She also believes that what you lack is experience, just that, and that you will become a great leader with time."

"IF I am not first 'eaten by all those political leopards out there', if I quote her correctly." and she said that more forcefully than she intended. "I sometimes wish I could settle things just by jumping on my Rouge and pounding everything into their right order. That's something I have been always good at… the pounding thing I mean." She chuckled half heartedly.

He took her hands on his, and, not for the first time, noticed how small they were. He knew, from personal experience, that those hands were stronger than they looked and that had done (as stated by the calluses here and there) much more things than those of any other respectable princess would do in a lifetime. After all she was no regular princess to begin with; more like the 'Goddess of Victory' if Kira told him the truth about a certain encounter in the desert… and Kira was one of those persons that struck him as incapable of lying. "Trust me in this," he said with that soft and, at the same time, commanding voice he used just with her when settling a nonsensical argument, "you have the heart to become a great leader, and sooner than later you will notice it too."

"Thanks." She said rising to hug the man she loved with all her heart and whose words she so desperately wanted to believe in, but couldn't bring herself to. It was always the thought that she might very well be screwing everything up more than it already was, always the thought that her father would have done something different, something wiser, or even worse, that she would not be protecting the people of Orb he had loved so much (and for which he had selflessly given up his life) and that now were her responsibility. 'The shoes you left behind are by far too big for me, father.' "I will do my best."

Even there, in the arms of her lover, she knew that the road ahead was one she had to walk on her own, hard as it was, following the paw-prints of the mighty Lion and tripping over and over again in the pursue of a dream shared by generations. She just wished she wouldn't mess everything too much on her learning way; after all, it was not just her life she was screwing, but also those of the citizens of Orb.

-.-.-.-.-.-

First draft finished February 24, 2006

**First Revision:** February 26, 2006

**Second Revision:** March 28, 2006 (**thanks to Rhea SilverKeys for all her help**)

Wow! Done! There it is my first try at Asucaga…. What do you think? Anyway, it's just the first draft, so I might come again later and make a few changes here and there to make my heart happy.

Since I began watching Destiny I had always wondered why Cagalli was so royally different from Seed (is it my idea or she cried a tad bit too much?) So this is a little insight of what might have gone trough her mind in between Seed and Destiny.

My theory is that she was far too young to cope with her new responsibilities. After all, for what I could grasp, her father was more concerned on teaching her the ideals of Orb than giving her an insight of what she had to do with the incisive journalists, the political intrigues and manipulations of all sorts, thus Cagalli was raised as a very straight forward person that couldn't really understand the whole world of political subtleties that could be later used against her, mainly by the Seiran family. And don't let me get started with the mass media issues…

Anyway, that's just me. And on the subject of the length of the story… well I have planed at least two more auto-conclusive parts, but I don't know if I will be able to write them. I suppose time will tell, eh?

Just one more thing: I insist, PLEASE constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. This story can also be found at my LiveJournal (link on my profile).

Edit: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I most appreciate (and wish to specially thank) those who pointed out the mistakes in this first draft. Thank you with all my heart!

I will work harder to make something better, and try to get rid of my fixation with parenthesis (love the little tikes , )


	2. Of Evil Dragons and Wizards

**Seeds of Dawn **

**by Lady Onuk  
**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, don't sue.

First of all I wish to thank all the reviewers that helped me improve the last chapter: **Cari-Akira, Rukia, ANONYMOUS-gsd, **and** Aikomidori **(couldn't have asked for better reviewers) without you guys I would have kept referring to Cagalli as "Athna"… and having many other mistakes (not that I won't make them any more. --U)

This next part would fit in between the end of Destiny and the last 20 minutes or so of the Final Phase OVA.

------------------------------

**"Of Evil Dragons and Wizards"**

_Will you go, or run away? It's your choice_

_Will it be happiness, or sorrow? (Neo Melodramatic)_

_You will bloom, but your despair will be which is picked_

_It is just the time we live in? (Neo Melodramatic)_

"_Neo Melodramatic" by Porno Graffitti (Translation taken from "The Cherryblossom_ _Garden"_)

-.-.-.-.-.-

Her gaze wandered at the dim-lighted ceiling of the restaurant before she could even think about it. The lights from both the city and the passing cars formed a few crooked forms that danced for a couple of seconds before disappearing. She shook her head fervently, trying to dispel the memories that threatened to resurface.

Almost half a year ago it would not have been so unusual. At that time she really welcomed them. She would stay up until late just watching the play of shadows and light in the confines of her room, thinking back on those happy times of her childhood. The fond memories would drag her away from the unstable atmosphere of the battlefield, away form the uncertainty of what the next day may bring, away from the thoughts that any military would feel at wartimes, 'Would I live to see tomorrow?'.

She would always remember those times when she would listen enraptured at the stories told by one of her parents before going to bed. She loved those stories, they were full of princess captured by evil dragons and wizards, that eventually would be saved once the Prince Charming came and fell in love with the princess. In the end it was always a Happily-Ever-After, and her heart truly believed that she would one day be given her own with a handsome man who would love her unconditionally.

Right now, just the mere thought disgusted her. Prince Charming? Ha! She would have laughed out loud if it wasn't for the place she was.

Who would have thought it would turn out that way? It had all started quite well in fact, and there had been a time in which Meyrin would have thought she was living her own fairy-tale. Well, maybe not exactly as she had envisioned, as she was the one saving her 'Prince' before almost being blown to oblivion (something for what Shinn had repeatedly tried to make her up to), but it was quite close. She had ran away with Athrun Zala, for Goddess sake! The man even her sister, the one with the good looks and great piloting skills, had had a crush on! Of course she had to desert ZAFT forces in the process, joining a faction that was basically going against both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance and also had to help them with the communications on board but… well, at least she got to know the great -and real- Lacus Clyne, a woman who was not just stunningly beautiful, but also a strong leader.

Up until that point and once the hostilities ceased, her fairy-tale was a success. Athrun stayed by her side (and Shinn's and Lunamaría's, for that matter) helping them gather around their own bearings, settling their priorities straight and, generally, giving moral support -just as a real prince would!-.

But after that, the illusion shattered. Well, sort of, because it was not something so sudden; in fact it was quite gradual.

She had made the best of efforts to try and get to know the pilot of the Infinite Justice, and, to a certain point, he was opening up to her. They even started to go out like any normal couple would (of course it was not 'official' but it worked the same, right?), usually hanging around with Lunamaria and Shinn in a double date.

But as much as she tried he still seemed distant.

The waiter finally came with their desserts and, with an unnecessary flourish, gave the finishing touch to the crêpe-thingy Athrun had recommended. She sighed as the waiter went on his merry way to juggle with other diner's crêpes, hopping Athrun would return soon from the bathroom.

This was one of the very rare times in which they had gone out together without her sister and her 'fiancé', and that would have been enough to make her heart flutter uncontrollably in her chest, had it not been for the fact that she REALLY felt uneasy.

'Well, not really uneasy', she corrected herself, 'more like… resigned'. The blue haired pilot had insisted on taking her to this secluded restaurant that served international cuisine, and she had accepted without a second thought; she imagined all the romanticism that would come out of this, but as the dinner progressed, she found that it was not what she had thought it would be.

Athrun had been incredibly polite and gentlemanly throughout their dinner, explaining her about this or the other dish she couldn't even pronounce correctly, and that, when she tried, would elicit a good hearted laugh from the green eyed coordinator. And God knew she just loved to hear him laugh.

But he did so very infrequently. Most of the time he would get lost in his thoughts, until she brought up a subject that called him back to Earth. Most of the time Meyrin could just not even begin to guess what went on in her date's mind, and that truthfully pained her.

Athrun returned at their table and asked for a refill on their wine, something the girl had to decline. She eyed warily her own half drunk glass of red wine and would have sighed, had Athrun not been there. She didn't like red wine at all. She preferred white or even pink, but the strong taste of the red one seemed to best suit the pilot. He had once told her that when he was first introduced to the delicacies of the wine world by his tutor back in PLANT he had gotten so drunk with white wine that he had spent the next day with a royal hangover, and once his father noticed this, he made his young heir train double than what he would normally do, insisting that he was awfully weak if he got so drunk with just wine. Obviously after that he had never been able to stomach more than one glass of the thing.

"Did you like the dinner?" he asked in that tone that resembled more that of a learned formula reserved for social events, than a valid question.

"Yes, it was pretty good. Thank you." She couldn't keep from using the same tone in her answer.

And it had all been like that. The whole dinner had basically gone like an arranged set of 'safe' questions and set answers, with the eventual mix of a fun anecdote here and there. Had not been for the menu reading stuff she might have had to catalogue this as one of the most boring dinners in her life; even more than that military one to which Lunamaria had invited her to go, after being appointed as a Red Vest a few years ago.

'Face it, Meyrin!' she mentally noted, 'he might have had all the pointers to be a great prince, but he seems to be losing the battle with his inner _evil dragon_ and those pesky little _wizards_.'

And it was a fact that Athrun Zala had been fighting an inner battle with his feelings and memories for quite some time.

Since the time in which he had been 'rattled awake' by Lacus words back in the PLANTs and when he had finally been able to talk to Kira again after all those battles, he had begun to wonder as to the purpose of his life.

The vast majority of his existence had been meticulously planed for him, from the military training he had gone through on his father's orders to the arranged marriage with Lacus; everything had been scheduled in such a precise and exact order that he had been unwilling to even question the reasons behind it, fearing that, if only once, the limits were broken and the boundaries sidestepped, chaos would ensue.

There was no point on questioning anyway. He was Athrun Zala, and as a son of Patrick Zala, high things were expected from him. Model warrior amongst the troops, going for a Red Vest at an early age, a fast thinker and a great strategist… someone who would have made any parent proud. But HIS father always expected more. He wanted absolute obedience, absolute respect.

And Athrun always provided so.

The young man had lived like that and believed it was the best way to exist, fulfilling his father's expectations. But then things changed.

War against someone once he considered his greatest (and probably only) friend. Kira Yamato had allied himself with the hated Naturals. That filth his father wanted eradicated before they could kill again so many innocents like in the "Bloody Valentine". So many innocents like his mother.

But he was still his friend, right? They must have been manipulating good old Kira; after all he had always been a good hearted boy, with no malice whatsoever. He had to convince him to join again with his true people.

But Kira was not fighting for Earth and would not fight for the PLANTs, he was fighting for his friends.

Just then fate decided to throw him around like a rag doll. He met a girl on an abandoned island that he should, as his training obliged, have killed without a second thought, but he refrained from doing so. And that might have been the turning point for him.

Later that same girl would question him about his motives, and he would find he had none he truly believed in. 'To kill and then be killed' became his answer after Nicol's death (and apparently Kira's), but he had the misfortune of living.

Enter Lacus. For years he had seen this girl grow up, thinking of her as the only woman that would be, ever, by his side. But he really didn't know her, did he? Of course not. Because when he finally returned to her, she had become an enemy. Not HIS enemy, but his father's.

That's when he became troubled with all he knew and held true. He doubted, he hesitated… he sought an answer. He fought again, but this time trying to protect. His enemies became those who desperately wished to bring death to humanity; and amongst those there was his own father.

In the end, Patrick Zala died, and his son mourned, not because of his death, but because he had not been able to save him from his own darkness.

It was laughable, really, because if he himself couldn't handle his own shadows how could he pretend to save his father from his?

Another war came, and he kept seeking for the answers. He made more mistakes, but was finally able to understand exactly what he fought for. But once this other war ended, he discovered something he had not contemplated. Once there was no war to fight, no people to protect with his Infinite Justice, he felt empty, alone, and lost.

But he was not alone. Another one was going more or less through the same he had once experienced and, as expected, he tried his best to help him.

Shinn Asuka started his way towards recovering, but what was now Athrun Zala supposed to do? It became painfully obvious he didn't know how to live for his own reasons. He was too atoned at fulfilling everyone's expectations, to follow orders; but now that he didn't have any more purpose he wondered exactly what should he do.

He had spent the last six months trying to sort out those feelings, searching for his purpose and trying to move on. He tried… HARD.

And, luckily, Meyrin Hawke had been there for him. Athrun had always wondered why she kept at his side, but never questioned his good star. She provided a certain space for him to regain his peace, keeping always a close eye on him without being obtrusive. For that, he was grateful.

But he could not return the affection the way she wished. It was just his way of being.

At the other side of the room, he could hear the piano being played. A young woman sang with it with a certain melancholy that made the song resonate in his heart. It slowly, grew in tempo.

"_This rose is our destiny, torn apart_

_Our two hands were separating_

_Even when I sleep, embracing a dream of you,_

_I reach! to the Ends of the World"_

He really had wanted to be the very best for Meyrin, to thank her for all the things she had been forced to do for his sake, and maybe, return her feelings. Maybe…

Zala had never been very good at the socializing part, he lacked experience and had too much stoicism to make other people feel comfortable in his presence. Thus his circle of friends was reduced to a bunch of military-related people who spoke more or less in the same way he did, and that would respect his need for solitude. Except for one person.

"_At times, a strong love wounds our hearts, but_

_It gives us dreams. In the midst of courage_

_A light will always shine forth with a single power..."_

A bossy girl that had tried to shot him more than once (and in fact did the first time he met her) and had ended as his prisoner for a time. He sometimes wondered if it really had not been the other way around.

But she was out of his reach. She had compromises; she had an enormous amount of responsibilities she could not run from and he knew it. He could not love her freely.

As things were, even if she returned his feelings, he would have to watch from afar in order not to be a hindrance for her. He didn't have to like it but things were that way.

_"This rose is our destiny, guided _

_We now meet once more_

_Whatever time we made that promise,_

_Don't forget it! At last we've come so far"_

Of course, he did what, at that time, thought was best for both: he went away. Athrun Zala was indeed hiding from the truth, his truth. Trying to be chivalrously selfless, he took the decision not to follow and place on her shoulders more problems than she already had. And God, had he been so wrong!

The green eyed pilot could not, just as easily, forget her. She was a constant part of his being. She was like the piece of the puzzle that, once placed, revealed the whole picture, his whole picture.

He unconsciously reached for the small stone that still dangled from his neck. The cord had long ago been replaced for a new one, but the protecting stone was still there, bright as the day she gave it to him. _'It's a Haumea's protecting stone. It will take care of you.'_

He smiled. In the end he came to a conclusion, he wanted to be selfish just one time.

"_At times, a noble love pierces our hearts to claim them_

_Protected by the one who protects you,_

_A light will always shine forth in a single power"_

At that gesture Meyrin finally sighed. As hard as it was for her to know what went on in the pilot's head she was certain of one thing, Athrun Zala had finally made his choice.

A sax played in.

"Look, Athrun," she said tiredly, "I am incredibly honored to have been invited to this fancy restaurant with you, but you have really been so out of it. Just tell me what is on your mind."

He wanted to protest, but by looking at her eyes he found it was useless. "I'm going back to Orb."

What she said next caught him off guard. "Ok." She shook her head at his confused expression.

_"__At times, a strong love wounds our hearts, but_

_It gives us dreams. In the midst of courage a light will always shine_

_Love is strong, it causes our hearts to move_

_Therefore the two of us are together to change the world, surely,_

_And everything will become a single power."_

"Please Athrun, spare me." She said taking a sip from her glass of wine. If she was going to do this, she better do it with at least a small bit of alcohol in her system, and sadly, red wine was her only option right then and there. "I have known you for enough time to know that you have left unconcluded business there, and that it is eating you from the inside." Another sip. "The only thing I wish to know is…" 'Why wasn't it me?'

He thought he heard her whisper something, but not even with his enhanced hearing could he really tell.

"Why did it took you such a long time?" she finally uttered; the glass of wine finally empty.

Athrun had to chuckle lightly at that. "Because I have just realized that I will never be able to get my hands on what I wish just by sitting around waiting for the time to be right. I have to openly fight for that which was once mine." He had let her walk away from his life, he would not let that happen again.

There are a few things in life that one just can't stop watching, like the restless coming and going of the waves, or the dance of the fire. Meyrin had to add one thing more to that list: the burning fire in the eyes of a resolute man.

With the final notes of the song fading into silence the redheaded coordinator was finally able to say the words that she had once dreaded, but now felt oddly reassuring and comforting. "Just remember that you will always have a friend in me, ok?"

He smiled.

A few days latter four coordinators went to visit Orb's memorial, and as luck may have it that same day Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne went also. It was an interesting meeting for the pilots of both the Freedom and the Destiny to say the least.

For her part, Meyrin was happy to see that Shinn was cooping pretty well with the situation. That meant there was still hope for humanity, wasn't it?

Once Lacus and Kira left, Athrun offered to escort her to her hotel, while her sister and Shinn took a few more moments alone in front of the memorial.

The youngest of the Hawke sisters fell a couple of steps behind Athrun and found herself smiling at his back. This meeting might have been something he had planed beforehand (she couldn't put it past him), but it mattered little, as it accomplished it's objective: to bring a close to their hate.

Now it was Zala's turn to bring a close to himself. Tomorrow they would leave for the PLANTs and Athrun would stay trying to recover his lost princess.

They walked up the steps leading to his car, both lost in thought. There was something about the blue haired pilot…

It took Meyrin some time to notice what it was. The back of the young man walking ahead from her was not the back of a prince; it was the back of a knight, a warrior who was about to fight his most important battle, and she knew he would not lose it this time.

And she felt truly happy for him.

-.-.-.-.-.-

_Will you go, or run away? It's your choice_

_Will it be happiness, or sorrow? (Neo Melodramatic)_

_You will bloom, but your despair will be which is picked_

_It is just the time we live in? (Neo Melodramatic)_

_Your "I love" and my "Help me"_

_will certainly be heard_

-.-.-.-.-.-

**First draft finished**: February 28, 2006.

I had not planed to write this chapter, but after reading a thread by indychan in the Asucaga LJ community this insisted on being written. I couldn't refuse. My only concern right now is Meyrin's characterization. As she is not one of my favorite characters I had a hard time placing her on paper (more like virtual paper), hope I grasped her more or less correctly.

First, the song's translations used come from two VERY different songs. The first one is "Neo Melodramatic" by Porno Graffity (translation taken from "The Cherryblossom Garden"), a very upbeat song that really gets you moving. The second one is "Toki ni Ai wa" - "At times, love is..."from the Shoujo Kakumei Utena Movie (translation by Verthandi), which is one of my favorites songs from that series, and believe me, I just LOVE the music from that thing! "Toki ni Ai wa…" is romantic and not-too-slow paced, with a beautiful use of the piano that begged me to use in that scene. Go and listen to them if you have the opportunity. I really hope this doesn't violate any FFnet policies.

As last time: PLEASE constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. If anyone wants to beta-read this, please contact me either via mail or LiveJournal. This story can also be found at my LiveJournal (link on my profile).


End file.
